The Fourth Calamity: Starting with Dungeon Slimes

So the great dragon Asya was locked in a dark room.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

"You despicable bastards, you'll never make me submit!"

Clearly, Athena did not realize the seriousness of the situation.

At this moment, she still naively believed that Jiang Chen had simply locked her up in a dark room.

"They're using the same trick they use on human children against me."

"This Pata is so naive."

Even Athena had to admit that confining human children in a dark and enclosed environment was extremely dangerous.

But it didn't have much effect on me.

Not long ago, I was a dragon sleeping in an egg.

The environment there is not much different from the environment here in essence.

The situation is basically the same.

"So what makes those Pata think they can make me obey?" Aiseya scoffed at this.

And so...

Not long after...

When the two plops came in, Athena was dumbfounded.

"So what's going on here?"

"Shouldn't I be locked up here alone, eventually succumbing to loneliness and giving in?"

"They even sent two Pata! What's the point of doing that?"

However, Athena quickly understood why Jiang Chen did this.

As soon as Athena entered, she heard two Pata start muttering to themselves.

They were speaking in words that Athena couldn't understand.

But who is Athena? She is a being who possesses wisdom beyond all others.

Although I can't understand what Pata is saying, that doesn't matter. What matters is that this information always reveals some important intelligence.

This is naturally very useful to me.

So Athena perked up her ears and listened.

"So, how many gold coins have you earned during this time?"

"I don't earn much; I've only saved a little over 800 gold coins so far."

"Wow, buddy, you're pretty rich! At the current in-game currency exchange rate, that's 4000 RMB, which is a month's salary for me."

"Is this stuff really that easy to sell? I have a feeling it won't."

"Just kidding, I'm telling you, they'll sell incredibly well. You know those big spenders in the game, right? Go talk to them, they'll definitely buy them."

Upon hearing what this player said, the other player expressed some concern.

"I'm afraid of being scammed in these private transactions; I've been scammed before when playing other games."

Seeing this, the latter indicated that he didn't need to worry, "Let me tell you this, those rich players are trustworthy."

"Don't worry about that. Besides, they wouldn't actually go and scam you for such a small amount of money. If they did, their reputation would be completely ruined if you posted about it online."

"You don't need to worry about being falsely accused. You'll have chat logs from when the transaction happened. Once these are made public, no one can escape the consequences."

"I see. I'll ask them about it later."

Suddenly, the player remembered something and asked about other things.

"By the way, you just said you earn 4000 a month, what kind of job do you do?"

"I work in sales, but my performance hasn't been good these past two years, so I'm just scraping by with the base salary and full attendance bonus. But my job is pretty good, though; I have long hours off, so it's quite convenient to play games."

"Aren't salespeople always busy? How could they possibly have long rest periods?"

"We have to go out, and once we're out there, who knows what we're doing? Anyway, I always go straight home when I go out. As long as I have some sales each month, the store manager won't say anything."

"Your job is great, I'm so envious. Unlike my job, I can only go home and relax for a while after get off work each day, and I only get one day off a week on weekends."

Upon hearing this, the players nearby were also greatly surprised.

"Your job is so stressful, how many hours of utter frustration do you experience each month?"

"Not much, just over 5000, which is only slightly more than yours, but I'm much busier than you, and I don't have time to slack off at all."

"My god, man, you're really amazing. You can even handle such a loser."

"There's nothing we can do; the current economic climate is bad, and jobs are really hard to find."

.......

Aesya: ? ? ? ?

Aisya was bewildered by the two people's loud conversation.

"Wait, what kind of nonsense are you two talking about?"

"What RMB? What a few thousand? What a loser? What overtime? What empty promises from the boss?"

"Is this still in the dungeon? Why is it that I recognize every single word you're saying, but when we put them together, I don't recognize a single one?"

"And what does 'buying a house and buying a car' mean? Can you explain that to me?!"

As Athena listened to the two clattering figures, she felt as if she were hearing a foreign language.

I couldn't understand a single word.

This can't even be described as outrageous; it's downright outrageous. Heaven knows how these brains of the idiots are constructed.

Why are you guys able to talk so engrossed in such a messy and nonsensical topic? You've been chatting for hours on end.

At that moment, Athena finally understood what a lullaby was.

Listening to those two clapping and chattering on and on, Athena felt her eyelids drooping.

"Bang bang bang!"

Just as Athena was dozing off, a knocking sound rang out, jolting her awake.

What happened? What's going on?

Before Athena could react, two slapping sounds came from the other side.

Screw your sleep, get up and party!

Aesya: !!!

At this moment, Athena understood perfectly well what the Pata group was planning.

"So what if you don't sleep? You really think you can stop a dragon?"

Aiseya scoffed at this.

Jiang Chen's task requires players to stay inside for a certain amount of time, and the results are calculated based on the time, but this time must be on the hour.

Currently, most of the time, players don't have many tasks.

The few tasks available so far include building a super fortress, which requires certain technical expertise and has been contracted out.

The workshop, staffed by amateur welders, is collaborating with the Sky Dome team to gradually build the facility.

This kind of technical skill is naturally beyond the capabilities of other players.

So there aren't many things left to do; it's really just a few things.

The first thing to do is to continue exploring the area around the dungeon in search of monsters. Although many places have been cleared, there are still many lone monsters.

However, the rewards for these tasks are actually not much.

Moreover, quite a few players are running around looking for this item.

This often results in spending a whole day running around and getting nothing in return.

Simply put, we're currently in a lull period. Players who have something to do can do some small things, but the vast majority of players are in a sluggish state.

In short, players are currently very bored, so many of them have their eyes on this quest.

Although it's a period of inactivity, players' online activity rate is still guaranteed.

Sometimes, liking a game is like that; you can even stand around watching it all afternoon.

And so the two players talked about everything from the sky to the ground, and whenever Athena wanted to sleep, they would wake her up with a few loud bangs.

And so, Athena persisted for several more hours until the two players finally left.

Before Athena could even catch her breath, two more players arrived.

"Again?"

"Even so, don't expect me to submit!"

What Athena didn't expect was that the players who came in this time were even more bizarre.

"Baby, I miss you so much."

I miss you so much too!

"Baby, I really want to see you in real life soon."

"I am a treasure too."

Looking at these two sticky, squishy Pada Etheria, I felt goosebumps all over my body.

"What cheesy talk!"

"How disgusting!"

"vomit!"

"How could there be such a disgusting 'smack'!"

"And how could you two say such things in front of me? Where is your sense of shame?"

The couple stayed inside for about two or three hours, during which they used all sorts of cheesy pickup lines, giving Athena goosebumps.

This is absolutely disgusting! Why would there be such a slap?

Finally, we got rid of those two.

Before Athena could even react, the next two actions were even more outrageous.

As soon as they entered, the two of them didn't say a word, their eyes fixed on the upper left.

This puzzled Athena as well.

"Wait, what are those two looking at?"

Aisya looked curiously upwards, but there was nothing there except the roof.

These two patalis were like sculptures. After looking at them for a long time, one of them finally opened its mouth.

"I think mithril equipment is much more cost-effective than regular magic equipment."

"First of all, mithril equipment is relatively much cheaper, and the equipment in this game has a durability value. If the durability drops to zero, it cannot be repaired without a blacksmith."

It's not a big deal if mithril equipment breaks, but magical items are more precious and expensive, and if they can't be repaired, it's a real problem.

After one of the patters spoke, the other patter also shared its opinion.

"We can't just consider the cost-effectiveness of equipment; we also have to consider its practicality. Like in that previous battle, I was wearing magic equipment, and I still lost half my health after taking a breath attack. If you're wearing mithril equipment, I've seen it—the person next to me died on the spot."

"But I think that the current equipment, although it can be worn with simple modifications, is a bit out of place. This game doesn't have any custom equipment designed for us."

To put it bluntly, given the nature of this game, we need to craft our own armor, but currently no one has that capability.

"So I think weapons are the most important thing compared to armor. I personally prefer armor-piercing crossbows."

"I still prefer melee combat, weapons like scythes and swords."

"Your idea is flawed. With melee weapons, our attributes make us easy cannon fodder."

"However, in terms of numerical values, melee weapons are much stronger. And after fighting so many enemies, most of them were engaged in close combat. Therefore, melee weapons are much more effective than ranged weapons, because ranged weapons lose all their advantage once they enter close combat."

Clearly, these two players are skilled players.

The conversation mainly revolved around the differences in equipment attributes and their practicality.

Then Athena was even more confused.

"No, I understand you sharing your opinions, but I have a question."

"We were just talking about armor, and we were only halfway through when we jumped to weapons. Don't you two think that's a bit disjointed?"

"We barely exchanged a few words about weapons before the conversation veered off to potions. Are you guys crazy?"

The two chatterboxes' conversation was so unconventional, and both of them were quite unconventional, yet they could even keep up with the unconventional topics.

This made Asya extremely upset.

As soon as those two left, another oddball came in.

However, what comforted Athena was that these two were different from the other Pata.

They are collaborating to carve a wood sculpture.

"I never imagined that among these lowly monsters, there would be someone who understands art."

This surprised Athena.

Let alone Pata, even many races with higher status and greater intelligence than Pata may not understand these things.

"What kind of people are these 'pata'? Why do they know so much?"

As she gazed at the two patina carvings with great interest, Athena thought to herself.

Compared to the previous oddballs, Aiseya naturally prefers these two with artistic talent.

After all, those who understand art have a certain level of quality, which is incomparable to those who know nothing about art.

Under Athena's watchful eye, the two Pata worked together to carve an exquisite heart.

In the center of the heart, there are many symmetrical and beautiful floral reliefs.

This left Athena completely stunned.

"Are these two sculptures really that good?"

Athena felt she couldn't do it.

This made Asya somewhat unhappy, after all, even she, a mighty dragon, couldn't do it, yet these two ignorant Pata were able to.

But just as Athena was thinking this, one of them slashed at one corner of the heart with a sharp thud.

Then, the heart, which was originally symmetrical, suddenly had a corner missing on the right side, making it look awkward no matter how you looked at it.

"Aaaaah! What are you doing?!"

This scene drove Athena crazy!

At that moment, she really wanted to do the left side as well, to make the left and right sides symmetrical.

However, the other party put away the asymmetrical item, which made Asya feel uncomfortable all over for some reason.

The two then started working on something else, whether it was carving or playing with puzzles, they always ended up with asymmetrical pieces, which made Athena feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Symmetry! Give her symmetry! It's making me feel so uncomfortable!"

"Damn it, another corner is missing! And this puzzle was almost finished, why did you leave a piece on the side?"

Clearly, this wave of attacks has tormented Athena quite a bit.

Finally, after enduring the torment, the two of them plopped away.

Then the new ones came.

Although it hadn't been long, only about 10 hours had passed, Athena was really going crazy.

"Those wretched Pata!"

There was nothing she could do; these Pata were just too good at creating trouble, with all sorts of tricks and schemes that made Athena very uncomfortable.

However, as a dragon, Athena is not so easily subdued.

Even if these slaps are deliberately meant to disgust me, so what?

Can't I even stand it myself?

This is absolutely impossible.

Asya could still endure this kind of torment.

Until the next day...

Three patters came in.

"Two for me!"

"Are you out of your mind? I played a pair of threes, and you played a pair of twos."

"Is there a problem? We're playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game)."

"It's not just Dou Dizhu (a card game) that has problems, okay? Who plays cards like that?"

"Hey buddy, did my card-playing bother you?"

"What do you think? We're both farmers, why are you taking my place? Are you in cahoots with this guy?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense. How others play is their business. You can't expect them to do things your way just because they don't want you to, right? You just assume it's all collusion."

Compared to the few Pata cats from yesterday, these three Pata cats were incredibly persistent, playing from morning until night.

Judging from their posture, these three patacas seem to want to continue playing.

At first, Aisa didn't pay much attention, but after playing with these Pata for a while, she became curious and went over to observe them.

Then, as she watched, Athena felt that she had learned it too, because the game wasn't difficult.

And so Athena kept wandering around behind the three Pata, wanting to see who would win.

"Are you stupid? You should put out a pair and have your next player pass it to you."

"Shut up! Do you even know what it means to observe the cards without speaking? You're so ignorant."

"Hmph! You didn't listen to me, so you've lost this round."

"Shut up, you're so annoying." As he said this, the player gave him another gold coin.

"The main reason I lost this round was because that stupid dragon in the back kept babbling on and on, otherwise I might not have lost."

"If you're not good enough, blame the road for being uneven. If you lose, you lose. There are no excuses."

"It's mainly this stupid dragon; it interrupted me with what it was saying."

This displeased Athena. "It's clearly because you're bad!"

"Food? You do it if you're so good!"

"Let's go for it! Who's afraid of who!"

And so...

"If you have a bomb, go blow him up! Are you stupid, you idiot? I'm with you."

"Damn it, you idiot! Are you keeping those two alive for the New Year? Waiting for them to have puppies? Why didn't they come out just now?"

"Stop babbling, okay? You'll pay if you lose."

Aisa's expression froze, and she looked somewhat evasive.

"Um... I don't have any money..."

"No money?" Several cats looked at her.

"Write an IOU, and we can lend you the money."

And just like that, Arya gained an extra 500 gold coins.

Then....

"Springtime, this time, luck is on our side, there's nothing we can do about it."

"You're really in trouble this time with 5 bombs. I told you not to fight for the landlord role, you stupid dragon, but you didn't listen. Now you've been blown to bits."

"Damn it, you just wait!"

By the time the three players left, Athena had no more of the 500 gold coins she had just borrowed.

Then, as soon as the three players went out, they told the other players what was going on inside, which immediately made everyone's eyes light up.

And so, two more players went in, and Athena got two more IOUs.

"Hahaha! I won, I'll pay you!" Athena said excitedly.

"Tch, you only won one game, keep going! Keep going!"

Then Athena skillfully shuffled the cards and drew them.

Immediately afterwards...

"Haha! Four twos and a pair of kings, how can I lose!" Athena was excited when she saw that she had won the bid for the landlord position and had a great hand.

Then...

The opponent first played a pair of Aces.

"A mere 'bang' bomb, and you actually think you can make me defuse it with such a stupid method?"

"You guys underestimate me too much."

"In short, no matter how you try to tempt me, I'm not going to defuse this bomb."

"Just you wait, you'll regret it later."

Arya still couldn't believe it; with only 17 cards, her opponent could defeat her instantly.

Then, airplane, I'm out of licenses.

"What!" Athena exclaimed in surprise.

"You guys actually beat me to a pulp?"

......

For a while, there was a lot of noise and commotion around Athena's side.

Then, because they were having so much fun, some players saw a business opportunity and immediately made several more decks of cards.

I also made some tables and chairs and placed them next to Aisa's room.

"Gentlemen, the seat fee for playing cards is 10 silver coins. Tea and cigarettes will be charged separately."

"There's smoke?"

"Hehe, I found something similar to tobacco leaves that makes something that tastes almost the same."

"Wow, this is amazing!"

And so...

Before long, a large number of players had gathered here.

They smoked while playing cards happily.

Several other players were responsible for serving tea and water.

Soon a small stall was set up.

This led many players to see a business opportunity, so some started making playing cards, while others started making mahjong sets.

In an instant, this place was transformed into a vegetable market.

Various noises and the sounds of playing cards filled the air.

Aisa was initially drowsy, but she got more and more engrossed in the game.

Then I tried taking a puff of a cigarette, but it was a special version with dragon mint added, which is popular among gamers.

Then......

"I'm hooked" means I can't stop.

"You should call him 'Boss,' right?" As she spoke, Asya tossed out several gold coins with a wave of her hand. "Boss, one more, please!"

......

Time flew by, and a week passed quickly.

Jiang Chen got up early that morning.

"It's been a week, and that stupid dragon still hasn't given in."

"But she should be almost done for now. I'll go talk to her again later and see how things go."

Jiang Chen estimated that after so much time, the players must have given them quite a hard time.

Jiang Chen was quite clear about the players' abilities.

After a simple breakfast, Jiang Chen glanced at Lilith. She had gotten up sometime earlier and was lying on a recliner, drinking a beverage and eating barbecue.

"This succubus is now useless."

"I guess we can't count on him in the future."

With that thought in mind, Jiang Chen made up his mind to take good care of that giant dragon.

Even now, this giant dragon is still one of our side's top combat forces.

Therefore, we must make proper arrangements and not let things turn out like Lilith's.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Chen soon arrived at the place where Ao Long was staying.

However, Jiang Chen was dumbfounded as soon as he arrived here.